Dismal outing for MCA (The Malaysian Insider)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The MCA incurred a heavy loss in the just-concluded 13th general election, conceding more seats to the opposition which made inroads into Barisan Nasional’s (BN) fortress of Johor.

Of the 37 parliamentary and 90 state seats contested in the GE13, it won only seven parliamentary and 11 state seats, a significant reduction from the 15 parliamentary and 32 state seats it bagged in the 2008 polls.

The parliamentary seats that it won were Tanjong Malim in Perak, Bentong in Pahang and Alor Gajah in Malacca, while in Johor it retained just four seats, down from seven in 2008, namely Labis, Ayer Itam, Tebrau and Tanjung Piai.

The 11 state seats it bagged were Titi Tinggi in Perlis, Gurun and Kulim in Kedah, Chenderiang in Perak, Damak and Cheka in Pahang, Machap, Klebang and Bemban in Malacca, as well as Paloh and Pulai Sebatang in Johor.

The MCA suffered a total wipeout in Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan, a clear sign that it had failed to woo the Chinese community, despite efforts to redeem itself since 2008.

The party only retained one state seat in Perak (Chenderiang) but lost the BN stronghold of Indera Kayangan in Perlis to PKR.

Perhaps, the only consolation for the party was that it wrested back the Kulim state seat from PKR.

The biggest casualties in this election were party secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha and vice-president Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, who lost their Lumut and Alor Star parliamentary seats, respectively.

However, deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai managed to defend his Bentong parliamentary seat in Pahang for the fourth term, defeating Wong Tack (DAP) by a slim majority of 379 votes.

In his immediate response to the party’s dismal GE13 outing, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said it would not take up any posts in the government.

“MCA will respect the voters’ decision that if we can’t perform better than the last GE, we won’t take up any government posts,” he tweeted shortly after news broke out that BN had obtained a simple majority to form the federal government. — Bernama